The repercussions of the delay in approving the 2025 budget…Parliament holds the government responsible.
The repercussions of the delay in approving the 2025 budget…Parliament holds the government responsible.
9-16-2025
Information / Report:
While most countries around the world approve their annual budgets at the beginning of each year and immediately begin implementing them, Iraq remains a clear exception, where delayed budget approval has become a common occurrence, transforming from an emergency into a near-permanent political and administrative norm.
This year, the 2025 budget schedules face further complexity, amid tensions between the Ministries of Finance and Planning, and confusion over how to handle them, negatively impacting the state’s financial and service performance.
Parliament criticizes the government
In this context, a member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Moeen Al-Kadhimi, confirmed to Al-Maalouma Agency that “the government should have submitted the budget tables earlier, especially since the current budget does not include new provisions, with the exception of Article 12, paragraph (c), related to the recalculation of the costs of producing and transporting oil from the Kurdistan Region, which was amended at the end of last year to reach approximately $16 per barrel.
” Al-Kadhimi added that “the new figures differ from the 2023 budget, which was calculated based on the production of southern oil,” noting that “the cost of oil production in the region is much higher than its counterpart in the rest of the governorates.”
For his part, MP Mustafa Al-Karawi, also a member of the Finance Committee, explained that “the delay in submitting the schedules has led to the suspension of many items in the operating budget, which has negatively impacted the disbursement of employee benefits, including bonuses, promotions, and the calculation of certificates, in addition to disrupting other financial activities.”
Al-Karawi stressed that “failure to submit the schedules after the end of the fiscal year is a clear violation and negatively impacts the stability of financial activity within government institutions.”
In another statement, a member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Moeen Al-Kadhimi, warned that the government’s continued disbursement of funds without approving the general budget schedules constitutes serious legal violations that threaten the state’s financial stability.
Al-Kadhimi said: “Financial spending outside the legal budget framework opens the door to corruption and mismanagement of resources, negatively impacts institutional stability, and endangers citizens’ rights.”
He stressed that “the government is obligated to adhere to legal procedures and create a regulated financial environment that ensures transparency and protects public funds,” stressing that “any constitutional transgression in this framework cannot be tolerated and requires accountability.”
Member of Parliament, MP Amal Attia, held the government responsible for disrupting most financial and operational activities, as well as delaying employee entitlements for bonuses and promotions, due to the failure to submit schedules on time.
almaalomah.me
